The present invention related to a combination nose wheel shroud and rudder and the actuating mechanism necessary to pivot the rudder in its flight guidance positions.
Small aircraft capable of carrying anywhere from two to four people come in a great variety of sizes, shapes and incorporate any number of mechanical principles. The selection of those production and non-production craft is so great that no attempt will be made to detail the various aspects, advantages and deficiencies of any prior present art aircraft. The present invention, however, is directed to the provision of a light-weight and inexpensive, but high performance craft designed to make a personal airplane more readily available to those in a wide range of income brackets. Specifically, the present invention concerns a combination nose wheel shroud and rudder control which is uniquely adaptable to a very lightweight, and inexpensive but high performance airplane.
There are many variations of landing gear controls used for small planes, for instance, in some embodiments, a nose wheel and its shroud are operable within a certain limited range of permitted movement via pedal actuators and a system of gears and cables. Such mechanisms are effective in performing the function of properly positioning the nose wheel of the craft, however, the combination of gears and cables is too expensive and complicated for utilization in a truly low cost aircraft. A similar system is illustrated in Patent 3,753,540 to Renner in which apparatus is disclosed for the steering of the nose wheel of the craft after touch-down is made. A foot operated bell crank actuates both the rudder and the nose wheel. While the mechanism disclosed is not overly complicated and its movement is rather effective, the present invention, by combining the nose wheel shroud thereby performs the same function with fewer parts and consequently less production cost. U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,452 to Blanchard in a most general manner discloses a steering wheel or mechanism that control both the rudder and the nose wheel. As in the case of the Renner patent, the present invention eliminates duplicated structure and is therefore superior to the structure disclosed in that patent. There are many other patents for planes which illustrate combined nose/wheel and rudder control systems. The present invention, however, utilizes the contour of the nose wheel shroud as a functioning rudder and therefore requires only a simplified, light-weight and inexpensive mechanism to provide actuation of the combined system for both inflight guidance and touch down control and subsequent steerage of the craft.